March on Qal'eh Manar
The March on Qal'eh Manar was a march where Louis Chan and Lin Chengjun entered the capital city of Qal'eh Manar with Lin's 9th Army to intimidate the National Revolutionary People's Assembly of Tabi'atstan and the Tabi'atstani Politburo to elect Chan as the new President of the USSRT and Chairman of the Communist Party of Tabi'atstan. Context After the end of the Second Tabi'atstani Civil War, members of the hardline council known as the Provisional Government under the Higher State Committee for the Protection of the Union that were effectively ruling the country accused the GKSB of attempting to use the chaos of the situation to take power, alienating the organisation. The Provisional Government also began to devolve into political infighting; despite the fact that Yuri Pashenko had been killed in 2000, a replacement president had still not yet been elected. Hence, the legitimacy of the Provisional Government was being increasingly damaged. The situation hit new lows when many members of the Provisional Government became linked with organised crime, using criminals as private armies to fight against their rivals. Many higher ranking military staff who had been involved in the 2000 Tabi'atstani coup d'état hence became disillusioned with the civilian government, and military support for another change in government grew. Preparations Prior to the march, Chan and Lin had made overtures to other high ranking military officers in the Tabi'atstani Revolutionary Army. In mid-April 2003, they were able to convince General Sun Kai Yao (commander of the TRA divisions tasked with the defence of the capital, Qal'eh Manar), to join their coup attempt. Various other officers were persuaded to join the cause, including Colonel General NAME of neighbouring Xinyue province. On the 2nd May, Chan and Lin were approached by GKSB agents, who revealed to them that GKSB Chairman NAME was aware of their plans, and wished to meet them in the Xiaoyuan provincial GKSB office. Initially, the two believed that their plan was over, but upon meeting NAME, found that he himself was disillusioned with the civilian government in Qal'eh Manar, and wished to provide assistance to them. Specifically, NAME offered to give them access to the GKSB's railway system, that ran parallel to the normal national railway. This was a major development, as it meant that Chan and Lin would be able to easily transport troops directly to the capital when they decided to execute the coup. On the 7th May, Chan and Lin along with several GKSB agents arranged a meeting with Counter Admiral Natalya Timofeyevna Darzi, commander of a squadron in the Toke Sea Fleet, to garner favour with the navy. Darzi had been annoyed with the conduct of the government and military high command during the Second Tabi'atstani Civil War, and welcomed the strong leadership she thought Chan and Lin would bring, and hence pledged her support for their coup attempt. With Counter Admiral Darzi working behind the scenes to gain more support amongst the TRN, Chan and Lin could generally rely on the navy backing their attempt to seize power. However, Counter Admiral Peyman Vahdat and Vice Admiral Dresvyanin Timurovich Urvan refused to support the two, proclaiming themselves to be on the side of the Supreme Legislative People's Council of Tabi'atstan. Unfortunately for them, the GKSB worked to prevent them from sending messages back to Qal'eh Manar, and the two refused to leave their posts as they were rightfully worried about a coup backer taking command of their troops in their absence. As such, the government continued to be unaware of the upcoming takeover attempt. Chan and Lin found it much easier to gain support from the air force, which was known for being more radical than the army or navy. Pashenko's decision to cut the size of the TRAF by 50% and his reductions in military spending annoyed many air force officers, who were also dismayed by the fact that they were not given higher pay than soldiers of the same rank despite their technical skills. Originally, the plan was for Lin to lead the coup in name, whilst Chan would work in the background, as it was thought that Chan's comparatively low rank (colonel) would make him less acceptable as a leader to the military establishment and the general population. However, Lin made it clear to the other coup planners that he had no desire to become involved in the political leadership after the execution of the coup, and so passed leadership to Chan. The March At 01:00 local time on the 30th May, Chan and Lin, along with the troops of the 9th Army, boarded a GKSB ER200 train from Biancheng to Qal'eh Manar. Making no stops on the way, the train arrived in Qal'eh Manar at roughly 13:00 on the 31st May. Upon the arrival of the 9th Army in Qal'eh Manar, General Sun deployed the troops of the 8th Guards Tank, 12th Guards Tank, and 72nd Guards Motor Rifle divisions to take control of strategic positions in the city. Having successfully taken control of the entire city, Chan, Lin, Sun, and the other officers released a statement on a nationwide radio broadcast announcing the formation of the Tabi'atstani State Emergency Command Council, which was to take over governance of the country from the legislature. On the 5th June, the National Revolutionary People's Assembly, fearing another civil war as troops collaborating with Chan and Lin had taken control of numerous cities throughout Tabi'atstan, held a snap election to elect Chan as the new President of the USSRT. Other participants Category:Tabi'atstan Category:Politics of Tabi'atstan Category:Military of Tabi'atstan